25 Easy Make Ahead Lunches

The kids are back to school and life goes back to normality and organising what the heck will go into their lunchbox every day. Now, before you think i’m super organised, which I sometimes am, I like you if I don’t have a freezer full of food, will be scratching my head on a Monday morning. But, I have a great way to over come this.

• Step 1 – Download this really handy FREE lunchbox planner I have designed this up especially to help make planning lunches so much easier.
• Step 2 – pick just 5 recipes for the choices below and add to your printed sheet. For example, you might have Mango Muffins on Monday, Breakfast Cookies on Tuesday etc, etc (you get where I’m going). Its a good idea to mix the lunches up, so muffins just one day, sandwich just one day.
• Step 3 – Go through the recipes and see what you have/don’t have, then make a shopping list. Include a different fruit and side for each day too.
• Step 3 – this weekend, make 5 things and freeze. Most of these recipes take less than 30 minutes. So 5 days of lunches for at least 2 weeks will take less than 2.5 hours of work. But heres the thing! If you have just one child, a recipe with 12 muffins = 12 weeks of lunches! How cool is that!

Who is up for the challenge?

I’m going to pick my 5 today and shoot them while i’m making them tomorrow. Keep an eye on my Instagram stores (or if you see this afterwards, check out the highlights).

Happy Prepping!

Aileen ????????????

Sweet Potato Cheesy Puff Bites

This recipe is made using leftover sweet potato but you can also, roast sweet potato with the skin on, then remove the skin and mash into a delicious sweet potato puree. Super easy and so much quicker too.

Get the recipe here

Pizza Muffins

I made these muffins in less than 15 minutes, and that was with the help of Oscar (who is very, very messy). These little muffins not only smell like pizza, they actually taste just like a pizza bread.  I served them with sliced peppers (a.k.a pepper pigs), sticks of cucumber and a glass of milk.

Get the recipe here

Egg-Free Mango and Coconut Vegan Muffins

Every single time I post a muffin recipe, I get inundated with messages from parents, mostly Mums asking for an egg-free option. I don’t want to just willy nilly give an egg-free version though until I have thoroughly tested it and voila there you go! Egg-Free and dairy-free muffins! 

Get the recipe here

Healthy Breakfast Muffins

While I have these delicious muffins in the breakfast section of my website, these are amazing for lunchboxes too. Made using oats, wholemeal flour, ground seeds and sweetened with only stewed sweet apple. Make a triple batch and freeze to get prepped for many lunches ahead.

Get the recipe here

Spinach, Goat Cheese and Thyme Muffins

These delicious savoury muffins are jam packed full of good ingredients from baby leaf spinach gently cooked in garlic to goat cheese all wrapped in a soft yummy muffin. 

Get the recipe here

2 Ingredient Bread Rolls – No Yeast, No Kneading

So not only do these 2 ingredient bread rolls contain, well 2 ingredients, they are also a super easy bread roll recipe too! Plus they are perfect for the freezer and great for lunchboxes too.

Get the recipe here

Granny’s 10 Minute Brown Bread

This recipe is the quickest brown bread you’ll ever make, and the most delicious. I have made it using both wheat flour and buckwheat and both are good. It is full of seeds that pack a punch and make this an insanely healthy bread.

Get the recipe here

Veggie Bread with Hummus

The bread when cooked is soft and doughy like bread should be and babies love it! Ever since Oscar was starting weaning he loved dipping foods into sauces so this goes really well with a veggie hummus. Hummus takes less than 10 minutes to prepare and is so delicious that you will never buy the store bought kinds again.

Get the recipe here

2 Ingredient Dough Pizza Poppers

This is by far, the best finger food for baby led weaning I have ever made! Soft, delicious bread rolls, filled with yummy mozzarella and pizza sauce! Oscars number one best lunch in the world EVER (so I was just told 🙂

Get the recipe here

Baby Led Weaning Carrot and Cheese Waffles

These Carrot and Cheese Waffles are a perfect baby led weaning finger food and even better for lunch boxes too. Soft, totally delicious and great to make ahead and freeze!

Get the recipe here

Broccoli and Cauliflower Egg-Free Fritters

A really good, make ahead recipe for lunches that your kids will love. Egg free and totally delicious too so a great recipe for kids with egg allergy.

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Chickpea and Roasted Carrot Pancakes

Healthy lunches are not always easy but these pancakes can be made ahead of time, frozen and taken out the morning you need them! Total game changer!

Get the recipe here

Butternut Squash and Goats Cheese Pancakes

The combination of butternut squash, goat cheese and rosemary with pancake batter may sound a bit crazy but I promise empty lunch boxes every single time! These pancakes are honestly one of my kids favourite!

Get the recipe here

Vegetable Pancakes

These little pancakes are absolutely amazing for your baby as a first food. They are also amazing cold so work great in lunchboxes as well. I tend to make up a triple or quadruple batch because my kids always eat an entire one straight after cooking. Freeze with a little parchment paper inbetween each one to prevent sticking.

Get the recipe here

Blueberry Oat Pancakes with Greek Yogurt

I know momma mornings are busy, but this recipe will fit right in to your schedule. Pancakes packed full of delicious slow releasing oats, fruit and healthy fats. Great eaten warm, or my favourite is at room temperature so they work great as a healthy lunchbox recipe too.

Get the recipe here

Sweetcorn Fritters with Mango Salsa

These Sweetcorn Fritters with Mango Salsa are a yummy, healthy and fun finger food recipe that your kids will love to find in their school lunch.

Get the recipe here

Mini Baby-Friendly Quiches

This recipe is packed full of healthy protein and exploding with veggies, scoring a 10+ on the yummy scale. Triple win, Mamas!

Get the recipe here

Spinach and Cream Baby Pies

This was one of the very first recipe I ever made for Oscar. They are really great to have on hand for those busy days and PERFECT for lunchboxes with older kids too. Just reach into the freezer, defrost and hey presto a healthy lunch in a few moments.

Get the recipe here

Vegan Quiche – Tofu, Spinach & Mushroom

The pastry uses buckwheat flour and coconut oil and it tastes amazing! Perfect for a freezer filler to make ahead for busy days. Great for lunchboxes and packed full of protein too.

Get the recipe here

Baked Beans Refined Sugar Free, Salt Free

Baked Beans are one of those dishes that the majority of kids just love. They are great cold with wholemeal brown bread. The preparation of these beans takes only 15 minutes and I normally make a few batches so that they are always in the freezer ready to go. Portion into a mini muffin tin for the perfect lunchbox size.

Get the recipe here

10 Minute Wholemeal Pizza Wraps

This healthy, easy baby led weaning recipe comes on a lovely wholemeal wrap. It’s absolutely delicious, a wonderful way to ensure your littles are eating their veggies, and it makes a perfect lunchbox filler.

Get the recipe here

Baby Led Weaning Egg Muffins

The best part about this recipe is that it is full of yummy ingredients, veggies, cheese, they are easy to pick up for little hands and boy do they taste amazing! I make a GINORMOUS batch and freeze the lot of them! The best and tastiest lunchbox recipe ever!

Get the recipe here

Baby Led Weaning Mexican Quinoa Bites

Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) is so amazing for all the family. It is a complete protein meaning that it contains all nine essential amino acids which most other grains lack. It is high in Vitamins B & E and is also a great source of fibre. Perfect for lunchboxes and great for little hands too.

Get the recipe here

Butternut Squash and Goat Cheese Frittatas

These Baby Mini Muffin Tin Frittatas make a perfect food for little hands and amazing for lunchboxes too. Great for baby and older kids and perfect for the freezer as well. They are nutritious, taste really yummy and are quite filling. 

Get the recipe here

‘Good Morning Baby’ Breakfast Cookies – Refined Sugar Free & Vegan

These breakfast cookies are only filled with healthy ingredients – Bananas, Oats, Nut Butter and are topped with my delicious chia jam! I would advise making these when your children are not around or they might not make it to the freezer! Just a caution because they are so so good.

Get the recipe here.

Healthy Carrot Cake Breakfast Bars

This recipe makes the perfect breakfast for baby-led weaning or as a lunchbox filler too. They are also super delicious for Mommas with a cuppa in the afternoon (just sayin’). Oats are an amazingly nutritious ingredient and they are a slow release carbohydrate too, which basically means that the energy provided keeps you full for longer.

Get the recipe here

Baby Friendly Oat and Fruit Bars

The perfect finger food, these bars are great way to include lots of goodness into your child’s diet. I love how quick and easy they are to make, so you can prepare ahead and get ready for a week ahead of lunchboxes.

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